Central Washington University (CWU)
Public four-year university in Ellensburg, WA that costs an average of $21,201 a year after financial aid, admits 91% of applicants and graduates 51% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$21,201
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
51%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$65,578
PublicTown (distant)7,833 undergraduates
Cost of CWU
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $32,722 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $9,655 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $28,362 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $16,814 |
| Books and supplies | $900 |
| Average net price after aid | $21,201 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $15,410 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $15,245 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $18,026 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $24,509 |
| $110,001+ | $29,759 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with CWU's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 91% |
|---|---|
| Test scores | Neither required nor recommended |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 51% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 70% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $53,596 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $65,578 |
| Rank in Washington (earnings) | 15th of 27 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $19,170 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $218 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 31% |
| Students with federal loans | 28% |
Majors and programs at CWU
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (90)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | 49 | $86,594 | $19,000 |
| Construction Management | 56 | $85,715 | — |
| Computer Science | 153 | $68,297 | $20,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 53 | $66,844 | $22,696 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 187 | $61,578 | $20,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 183 | $58,585 | $20,500 |
| Economics | 26 | $58,023 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 242 | $55,882 | $20,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 470 | $52,372 | $17,903 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 21 | $51,013 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 407 | $50,475 | $18,000 |
| Air Transportation | 138 | $49,584 | $22,537 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 24 | $48,313 | — |
| Sociology | 140 | $46,865 | $15,184 |
| Biology | 86 | $46,821 | $18,958 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 43 | $45,724 | $18,774 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 269 | $45,688 | $18,191 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 30 | $45,554 | — |
| Public Health | 59 | $45,204 | $19,926 |
| Social Sciences | 94 | $44,974 | $20,062 |
| Geography and Cartography | 19 | $44,634 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 43 | $44,604 | $18,000 |
| Human Services | 91 | $41,768 | $15,000 |
| Psychology | 534 | $41,215 | $16,654 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 165 | $40,537 | $16,084 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 17 | $39,403 | — |
| History | 39 | $36,672 | $24,914 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 64 | $35,446 | $18,925 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 20 | $35,153 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 111 | $34,114 | $20,563 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 30 | $33,789 | — |
| Anthropology | 49 | $32,774 | $21,697 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 52 | $32,728 | $15,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 39 | $32,623 | $22,500 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 38 | $24,524 | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management | — | — | — |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | — | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 19 | — | — |
| American Sign Language | 12 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 12 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 5 | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | — | — | — |
| Behavioral Sciences | 11 | — | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | — | — | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology | — | — | — |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | — | — | — |
| Business/Commerce | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | 32 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | — | — | — |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | — | — | — |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | 13 | — | — |
| Dance | 5 | — | — |
| Data Analytics | — | — | — |
| Data Science | 2 | — | — |
| Design and Applied Arts | 39 | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 13 | — | — |
| Education | 13 | — | — |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 23 | — | — |
| Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians | 9 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 29 | — | $20,583 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 10 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 4 | — | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 6 | — | — |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | — | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 37 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Gerontology | — | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 19 | — | $24,250 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 21 | — | — |
| Insurance | 19 | — | — |
| Journalism | — | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 36 | — | $18,666 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | — | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 12 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 6 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 5 | — | — |
| Music | 60 | — | $23,899 |
| Natural Sciences | — | — | — |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | — | — | — |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | — | — | — |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies | 24 | — | — |
| Physical Sciences | — | — | — |
| Physics | 43 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 12 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | — | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 7 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 14 | — | $20,143 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | 5 | — | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | — | — | — |
Certificate programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | — | $53,235 | $20,339 |
Associate's degree programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | — | — | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (36)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | 8 | $104,672 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 65 | $77,182 | $26,405 |
| Music | 44 | $73,824 | $29,274 |
| Education | 120 | $72,492 | $29,258 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 16 | $69,661 | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 17 | $67,406 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 61 | $64,506 | $30,886 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 7 | $48,285 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 18 | — | — |
| Behavioral Sciences | 16 | — | — |
| Biology | 9 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 6 | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 39 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 1 | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 6 | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | — | — | — |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians | — | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 16 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 2 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 16 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | — | — | — |
| History | 9 | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 11 | — | — |
| Mathematics | — | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | — | — | — |
| Natural Resources and Conservation, Other | — | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 15 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 18 | — | — |
| Public Administration | — | — | — |
| Public Health | 21 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 10 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 1 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | — | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | — | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 5 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 2 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | — | — |
Graduate certificate programs (11)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | — | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
| Education | 9 | — | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 3 | — | — |
| Public Health | — | — | — |
| Security Science and Technology | 2 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 4 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 6 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | — | — | — |
Similar colleges in Washington
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | $13,647 | 91% | $62,463 |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham | $19,963 | 93% | $64,305 |
| University of Washington-Bothell Campus | Bothell | $13,802 | 91% | $83,105 |
| Washington State University | Pullman | $13,462 | 87% | $72,280 |
| University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | Tacoma | $11,900 | 83% | $83,105 |
| The Evergreen State College | Olympia | $25,154 | 96% | $48,982 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle | $13,663 | 39% | $83,105 |
About CWU
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Ellensburg, WA |
| Setting | Town (distant) |
| Undergraduates | 7,833 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 15 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities |
| Website | cwu.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is CWU's acceptance rate?
Central Washington University admits 91% of applicants.
How much does CWU cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $32,722 a year (tuition and fees: $9,655 in-state, $28,362 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $21,201 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $15,410.
How much do CWU graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $65,578 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 15th of 27 similar colleges in Washington. The best-paid bachelor's program is quality control and safety technologies/technicians ($86,594 a year after graduation).
What is CWU's graduation rate?
51% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 70% of first-year students return for a second year.